BERKELEY, CALIF. – Running back Darius Taylor, the Gophers’ leading rusher, sat out Saturday night’s game at California because of an apparent hamstring injury suffered last week against Northwestern (La.) State.
Taylor was listed as out on the Big Ten availability report that was released two hours before Saturday’s 9:30 p.m. kickoff at California Memorial Stadium.
Starting defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding, who left the Northwestern State game in the second quarter because of an injury to his right leg, was listed as questionable.
Taylor, a junior from Detroit, was injured on his third carry of the game against Northwestern State. On a 17-yard run to the Demons’ 1-yard line, Taylor pulled up before reaching the end zone and grabbed the back of his right leg. He collapsed to the turf out of bounds and was tended to before walking off. Taylor has rushed 33 times for 161 yards and has caught five passes for 45 yards this season.
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck on Monday said Taylor’s injury “wasn’t as bad as initially thought.”
With Taylor out, the Gophers were expected to turn to a pair of transfer running backs: A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cam Davis (Washington). Turner, a junior, has rushed 12 times for 49 yards and a touchdown in two games, while Davis, a senior, has six carries for 25 yards and a score. Redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi (seven carries, 51 yards) also could be in the mix.
True freshman linebacker Emmanuel Karmo, who suffered a head injury while making a tackle on kickoff coverage last week, was not listed on the availability report, meaning he was available to play.
